Decoding Dyslexia, Monthly Meeting 
Tomorrow, November 18, 7PM 

Discussion and plan to ensure that the recently passed  bill, B23-0150 "Addressing Dyslexia and Other Reading Difficulties Amendment Act of 2020," gets fully funded.  The bill was adopted unanimously by the DC Council last week. Now it needs a signature from he Mayor and funding. Register here to get the zoom link.
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Testify on DCPS Return to In-Person Instruction Reopening
DC Council Hearing
December 2, 3PM

The DC Council is holding a Roundtable to hear from the public on DCPS's plan for reopening schools for in-person instruction. Those who wish to testify can sign up online here or by calling the Committee on Education, (202) 724–8061 by 5 PM, Friday, November 27, 2020 and include your name, organization affiliation (if any), and title. 
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     The State Board of Education, after hearing from over 60 parents, teachers, and community members, wrote the attached letter to the Mayor calling for a new, much-improved reopening plan for DCPS.  The gist is this:
 

        "We ... know that figuring out how to reopen schools in a pandemic is extremely complicated. It cannot be a one-size-fits-all plan. It must be based on the input, experience, knowledge, and needs of those closest to the situation: our parents and educators.

      We call for a plan that is much more responsive to the needs of families and staff and gives much more autonomy to school communities. The whole letter can be seen here. Here are a few excerpts: 

"We ask you to please use this time to work directly with school leaders and teachers on overall planning—and to determine more accurately how many families would like to return in person or to take advantage of CARE classrooms in order to develop a plan that stakeholders find more viable. 

Everyone is eager to find a way to bring back as many students as possible—and as soon as possible—prioritizing students most in need. We know that many students and their families are struggling with virtual learning and are losing ground academically. We know that for many students being back in the classroom is vital not just for academics, but for mental health and social reasons and that for many families, their very employment depends on students having a safe place to go during the day. 

We urge you to begin now to develop a well-conceived plan for a Term 3 reopening—possibly with some students coming back even earlier. This time, the staff of each school, in consultation with the broader school community, must be given the space to design a reopening plan that works for its community. Parents must be engaged during the formation of a reopening plan, not just informed of a plan once it has been created. 

We ask you, first of all, to frontload the overall planning process by putting in place a planning framework that would enable, empower, and jumpstart local school communities (likely via their Local School Advisory Teams) to identify the specific needs and priorities of their students and families—including which students are in greatest need of in-person learning—and how to address them effectively, making use of the school community’s unique resources....
 

Supporting Our City

     The DC Food Project works with some 20 partner schools to get food to families for the weekend. Its partner school staff also works closely with school families to make sure needs beyond food are also being met with other resources. It has helped over 2600 families since the spring and is now kicking off a partnership with DC Central Kitchen that will allow grocery distribution to additional families andpublic schools.
     If you're looking for a way to support our city during this very tough time, I highly recommend this. Donate here:

    

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